At San Francisco Cooking School we say often that we train cooks, not chefs. But, what’s the difference? In this How a Cook Becomes a Chef series, we ask some of our favorite chefs their thoughts on the matter.
First up is Glenn Kang, chef emeritus at State Bird Provisions. Glenn came in our kitchen to teach and we took this opportunity to hold a little fryer-side chat while our happy little quails got nice and golden brown.
After graduating from culinary school, Glenn earned his chops in some of San Francisco’s finest kitchens (Campton Place, Rubicon, and Delfina). He’s been at State Bird since the restaurant opened so he knows a thing or two about being a chef.
What differentiates a cook and a chef?
“If you call a chef a great cook, what you’re implying is that they have tremendous grasp of technique and cooking ability.
But the difference between a chef and a cook is being able to manage all these other things — it’s not just the dishes that you’re putting on the plate, it’s mentoring young cooks, it’s running an efficient system, it’s not being wasteful, it’s making the numbers fall in line, it’s so many different things.
When you become a chef, you’ve transcended that level where you’re no longer just thinking about the ingredient that’s in the pan at the moment, you’re thinking about ALL the ingredients in ALL the pans of the entire place. It’s a much broader, bigger picture.”
Glenn is a natural teacher, a sign of a chef if we’ve ever seen one. We have so many incredible chefs come in to teach at our school and their ability to communicate, listen, organize, and execute is incredible. Glenn showed up with a prep list, a pull sheet of ingredients, recipes for some of the restaurants most stellar dishes (yes, he taught us how to make the “State Bird with Provisions”), and a calmness about him that we’re sure emulates his style during service at the restaurant. With an open kitchen, a chef like Glenn has nowhere to hide. Diners see him cooking, plating, even ordering cooks around, and work like this has taught him that a chef must keep his cool and be aware of all the moving pieces.
What can a young cook do to become a great chef?
“Put your head down and absorb everything you can — which can involve even the most menial tasks.
One of the biggest things I see a lot of young cooks do is go off to Europe and all these places to stage, but they don’t even know how to sauté a piece of fish, or work at high volume, or work at the speed and diligence needed in a high-level kitchen, and so what do they have to glean from these most elite restaurants in the world when they don’t even know the basics?
Focus, learn the basics, be willing to say ‘yes’ to whatever, and constantly be learning. Every moment I get, I’m on the Internet, I’m reading cookbooks, I’m going to restaurants — you have to really live it.”
Looking at the progress of your own career, at what point did you consider yourself a chef?
“I’ve had chef jobs before, but I don’t think I really got the tutelage until Stuart helped me out. With State Bird, I was seeing that I was getting better at running a kitchen, but for me, the biggest part was when I saw a transformation in cooks I was worried weren’t going to make it. They were working hard, and all of a sudden I saw them turn this corner, and figure it out. They started to get everything we’ve been talking about. They started to get that the best way is not always the easiest way.
I didn’t even realize that that’s what I was reaching for until it happened.
When one person transcends, that affects the whole team, and then the whole restaurant becomes something really great.”
